Ruminant

xiii

13.

After escorting his pet back home, Kyoya couldn't help but smirk in satisfaction.

His day was good - great even, with a baby omnivore taught the ropes of keeping the peace and a village introduced to his special brand of discipline.

Kyoya hoped he could do more of this next time.

"Tadaima," he called out perfunctorily as he went inside his house.

"Okaeri, Shikari," Kyoya's mother greeted, coming out of the kitchen. Wiping her hands on her apron, she moved towards him worriedly. "Did you have fun today?" She gestured for Kyoya to hold his arms up.

Normally, Kyoya would get annoyed at the crowding, but he was in a good mood and graciously allowed the fussing to commence with no protest. "I did. Can I do this tomorrow too?"

His kaa-san smiled and wiped the sweat down his back. "As long as you don't call Itachi-kun your pet and Mikoto-san allowed it, then you can."

Kyoya smiled as innocently as he could. "Of course."

His mother dressed him, before sighing then commenting bemusedly. "It's nice that you're having fun like this instead of beating up your cousins." She glanced at him inquisitively. "What did the two of you even do?"

He hummed noncommittally. "This and that."

-----

"This," Kyoya hit one of the fallen herbivores on the ground lightly. "is how you shouldn't handle an unruly herbivore, small animal." He prodded the poor hedgehog-haired boy with his foot. "Since he's unconscious, he couldn't do what he's supposed to be doing."

"This, on the other hand," Kyoya hefted another groaning herbivore on his collar, the one with the ridiculous bangs, to a stand. "was bitten enough to hurt but could be given back to the proper authorities and dealt with."

He looked at Itachi expectantly. "Do you understand?"

Itachi nodded slowly, side-eyeing the stupefied chuunin teacher at the side who was chasing the two academy students a while ago. "Hai."

-----

"Perverts," Kyoya curled his lips into a sneer as he pointed his stick towards a white-haired man perched on a tree. The man seemed to be peeking inside the women's side of the bath-house while giggling in an unnerving manner. "like this person disturb the peace."

"What are perverts, Shikari-san?" Itachi asked innocently.

Kyoya stopped and grimaced. "Hn. Maybe when you're older." He took a moment to compose his face before glancing at Itachi in a stern manner. "For now, perverts are people who took great pleasure in peeking at the bodies of naked people without their consent. Remember to never be one, small animal. People who are one, are pathetic, needy creatures."

Ignoring the odd squawk he heard from above, Kyoya continued, "Since we're not very big at the moment, what do you think we should do to discipline him?"

"Throw the stick up at him till he falls?" Itachi offered.

Kyoya shook his head. "It wouldn't work since this pervert is a ninja. A more effective idea would be like this..." He moved closer and whispered to the small animal's ear.

Itachi looked constipated at the thought of drawing so much attention to himself, but he ultimately still relented in the end. "It's for the greater good." Kyoya heard the small animal whisper to himself valiantly.

A deep breath was heard and then,

"There's a pervert in the tree!" Itachi shouted loudly, his cheeks burning a harsh red. "Pervert! Pervert! He's peeking in the bath-house!"

There was a tense silence before all hell broke loose.

Kyoya puffed up in satisfaction when the wall from the bath-house actually burst from the sheer number of scorned women who were intent on pounding the perverted man to the ground. There were plenty of people from the road too who heard the small animal's call and answered it vigorously.

"Ka...shi. Help me." The white-haired man called out desperately to a masked boy with similar colored hair passing by.

Kyoya readied himself to interfere just in case, but it wasn't needed. The boy just looked at the perverted man like he was a vaguely disgusting specimen stuck on his shoe and replied blandly. "I have a mission to lead today, Jiraiya-sama."

How cold. The boy walked away without a second glance, uncaring of the screams of the older man.

Kyoya was kind of impressed since they seemed to be related too.

Shaking Kyoya from his stupor, Itachi pointed to the thoroughly beaten pervert groaning on the dirt.

Both glanced at each other before nodding determinedly.

When his pet picked up a stick of his own and proceeded to participate in the disciplining as well, Kyoya couldn't help the proud smile that broke out of his face.

The small omnivore was learning great.

------

This state of affairs continued, interspersed with minutes of napping on the side when they stumbled upon great clearings.

Kyoya couldn't be more pleased.